BEIJING, Dec.8 -- On behalf of President Ismail Omar Guelleh of the Republic of Djibouti, Djibouti's ambassador to China Abdullah Miguil awarded the Independence Day Medal at commander level to Chinese Rear Admiral Liang Yang, the first commander of the PLA Support Base in Djibouti and incumbent commander of a PLA naval base, on the morning of December 7.
At the awarding ceremony, Ambassador Abdullah Miguil read out the order of President Guelleh and awarded the medal to Rear Admiral Liang Yang. According to the ambassador, during Liang Yang’s tenure in Djibouti, Liang had vigorously engaged in the organization of joint exercises and training, provision of medical services for the local people, and donation of teaching equipment to local schools, which forged profound friendship with Djibouti’s government and people and greatly contributed to the close ties between the two countries and militaries. The ambassador hoped that both sides can continue to strengthen interaction and friendly cooperation in the future.
Rear Admiral Liang Yang said that as a witness to the friendly relations between China and Djibouti, he felt extremely honored. He believed that the honor of the award today embodied the profound friendship between the two militaries and also looked forward to greater development of the bilateral ties.
The Independence Day Medal of the Republic of Djibouti was inaugurated on June 27, 1977. Three levels are set for this honor, and the commander level ranks the highest, which is generally approved and awarded by the President to domestic citizens or servicemen, or foreign senior military and political officials who have made outstanding contributions to Djibouti. It’s learnt that this is the first time that the highest level medal has been awarded to a foreign garrison commander.
